89: The Covenant of Escape

"If you want revenge, follow me."

The moment the Reconnaissance Squad kicked the door open, Chen Feng's voice sounded right against Su Li's ear, as calm as if he were discussing an insignificant business deal.

Su Li's pupils constricted to the limit in an instant. The resolution in her eyes had not yet dissipated, replaced instead by a hint of shock and suspicion.

"Who are you?!" the lead captain shouted sternly, the red dot of his Gauss Rifle's laser sight drifting between the two of them.

"Someone who will let you live." Chen Feng's answer was not for the captain, but for Su Li.

Before his voice had even faded, he suddenly grabbed the bowl of scalding, chemical-smelling Synthetic Protein Noodles in front of him and flung his arm up!

Splash—!

Hot soup mixed with thick noodles splashed precisely onto the lead captain's face.

"Ah!" A shrill scream pierced through the eatery.

Almost at the same time, Chen Feng's other hand pressed down hard under the table.

Buzz—!

A high-frequency hum, loud enough to pierce eardrums, instantly exploded! A Miniature Stun Grenade hidden under the table unleashed an invisible shockwave; the light inside the entire eatery distorted for a moment, and everyone's vision fell into a brief white void.

"Go!"

Chen Feng didn't even look at the results. He grabbed Su Li's cold wrist with an irresistible force, dragging her up from her daze and charging toward the back kitchen.

"Catch them!"

The chaotic roars and the sounds of the Reconnaissance Squad members struggling to their feet came from behind them.

Chen Feng kicked open the rusty iron door of the back kitchen, and the sour stench of rotting food wafted toward them. The two of them plunged into a narrow maintenance passage that only allowed one person to pass at a time.

"Let go!" Su Li ran in the darkness, her other hand trying to break free from Chen Feng's grip, but his palm was like cast iron, unmoving.

"Who on earth are you?!" Her voice echoed in the narrow passage, cold and urgent.

"Want to know? Then keep up with my speed," Chen Feng's voice came from ahead.

"Your purpose!" Su Li did not give up her questioning.

"Purpose?" A hint of mockery entered Chen Feng's voice. "The Omni-Dimensional Trade Alliance—you shouldn't be unfamiliar with that name. I am the only one who can help you destroy it."

These words were like a heavy hammer, slamming hard against Su Li's heart, causing her running footsteps to falter for a moment.

The passage branched ahead. The footsteps of the pursuers came from at least two directions, already forming an encirclement.

"This way!" Chen Feng turned into a narrower gap on the left without hesitation.

"How do you know this path?" Su Li asked, panting. She found that this man's familiarity with this place was as if he were strolling through his own backyard.

"I bought the maps of this place—every pipe, every vent," Chen Feng said succinctly.

They passed through an exhaust fan dripping with disgusting liquid, only to find a cold dead end ahead. The beams from the pursuers' tactical flashlights were already shining on them from behind.

"We're blocked!" For the first time, a hint of agitation entered Su Li's voice.

At the end of the dead end was a massive circular pipe opening, over three meters in diameter. The hydraulic devices inside were slowly operating, making a dull 'clunking' sound. That was the Relay Station's Trash Compression Pipe.

"Do you still want revenge?" Chen Feng looked back at her.

"What?"

"If you do, jump."

After Chen Feng finished speaking, he didn't give Su Li any time to react. He leaped, jumping into that bottomless, foul-smelling pipe without hesitation!

The sensation of weightlessness hit. He was still tightly gripping her hand, dragging her into the abyss along with him.

"Madman!"

In the rapid fall, Su Li only had time to let out a low growl mixed with horror and anger. The foul-smelling warm wind plastered her face. This man's madness had completely exceeded her scope of understanding.

Thud!

The two of them slammed heavily onto a pile of soft, elastic things, splashing into a mess. The pungent smell of decay was almost suffocating.

"Get up, Boss!"

A familiar voice sounded.

Before Su Li could see the situation clearly, she was pulled up by Chen Feng. Only then did she realize they were in a massive Waste Disposal Center. Around them, several burly men wearing janitor uniforms and holding weapons had long been waiting. The leader was precisely that menacing man she had seen once at the spaceport.

"Put it on." Reno threw her a set of uniforms that also smelled of disinfectant.

Su Li glanced at this well-trained squad, then at Chen Feng, whose face was stained with unknown filth but remained calm. Her assessment of his strength was once again forcibly raised.

"Alert! All exits have been sealed! Repeat, all exits have been sealed!"

A mechanical warning sounded from the overhead broadcast, and red alarm lights cast flickering shadows on everyone's faces. The Reconnaissance Squad had already reacted, surrounding the entire Waste Disposal Center like an iron barrel.

"A turtle in a jar?" Su Li sneered, her tone full of self-deprecation.

"No." A strange smile appeared on Chen Feng's face. He raised his wrist and pressed the final button on his personal terminal. "It's opening the floodgates."

"Initiating final contingency: Emergency Ejection Procedure."

Following Chen Feng's command, a piercing siren blared throughout the entire Waste Disposal Center!

Rumble—!

Not far beneath their feet, a massive hatch the size of half a football field slowly opened amidst a series of loud bangs. The vacuum of space rubbed against the air inside the station, creating a sharp whistling sound.

"Get in the vehicle!" Reno roared.

Everyone quickly scrambled into a specialized armored vehicle disguised as a Garbage Collection Truck.

In the next second, an overwhelming thrust came from behind the vehicle!

Tons of space junk compressed into blocks were suddenly ejected into the cold space like a bursting dam, forming a spectacular and chaotic 'Garbage Nebula'.

And Reno's inconspicuous 'garbage truck' was mixed within this nebula, silently breaking away from the Relay Station.

A moment later, everyone safely returned to the needlefish. The ship immediately started its engines, preparing for a jump.

Su Li stood on the bridge, having taken off that humiliating janitor uniform to reveal the capable black bodysuit underneath. Her cold gaze cut through the busy crowd on the bridge, locking onto Chen Feng in the captain's seat.

She walked over step by step, her high-heeled boots clicking clearly on the metal deck, each sound seeming to tap against everyone's hearts.

Reno instinctively took a step across, blocking the way in front of Chen Feng.

Su Li stopped, looking up at the tower-like man in front of her, then her gaze went over his shoulder to look directly at Chen Feng. She said word by word:

"Now, you can explain."

"Otherwise, I don't mind becoming new space junk along with your ship."